Overall I see Dr. Rebekah Nathan as a person that lives more for the experience and understanding of things. As a cultural anthropologist Dr. Nathan experienced village life and learned about another culture overseas. She then throws herself into the role of a new freshman attending “welcome week”, classes, activities, as well as doing homework. Personally, I admire the fact that not only does she become a “new freshman” but she follows through with playing the role.
In the first chapter, although she taught at this exact university for 14 full years, she says "I found myself frequently wandering in the wrong direction and stopping other students, who looked more competent, for directions. I genuinely felt the part of a new student or at least a clueless outsider.” I found this interesting because it shows the vastness of a college campus as well as the “freshman’s” clueless start to a “new world”. Dr. Nathan also took such a simple aspect of college life and elaborated on it to allow the freshman reader to empathize on that exact “clueless” feeling.
Personally, being a commuter, I could not relate to the second chapter much; however, Dr. Nathan mentions being "Bombarded with lists of books to get (or return) ,first assignments, I found it hard enough to keep track of my own life, let alone the activities of numerous others.” Looking back to my first two weeks as a freshman I remember that exact feeling. Attending classes, getting assignment and making frequent trips to the bookstore became routine in my first week. I remember feeling consumed with class work and online homework, which made finding classes, navigating through new online websites, and getting the materials I needed an added hassle.
In conclusion, I think Dr. Nathan took observation a step further when she entered the college scene and she was able to get a close experience of what college life for an incoming freshman is actually like. She says "Each college student is going to have a different college experience". I agree with her statement and feel like everyone is different, therefore their college experience will be different, but I feel like parts of Dr Nathan's college experience were close to the same as most incoming freshman including mine.
My Freshman Year (Response)
Overall I see Dr. Rebekah Nathan as a person that lives more for the experience and understanding of things. As a cultural anthropologist Dr. Nathan experienced village life and learned about another culture overseas. She then throws herself into the role of a new freshman attending “welcome week”, classes, activities, as well as doing homework. Personally, I admire the fact that not only does she become a “new freshman” but she follows through with playing the role.
In the first chapter, although she taught at this exact university for 14 full years, she says "I found myself frequently wandering in the wrong direction and stopping other students, who looked more competent, for directions. I genuinely felt the part of a new student or at least a clueless outsider.” I found this interesting because it shows the vastness of a college campus as well as the “freshman’s” clueless start to a “new world”. Dr. Nathan also took such a simple aspect of college life and elaborated on it to allow the freshman reader to empathize on that exact “clueless” feeling.
Personally, being a commuter, I could not relate to the second chapter much; however, Dr. Nathan mentions being "Bombarded with lists of books to get (or return) ,first assignments, I found it hard enough to keep track of my own life, let alone the activities of numerous others.” Looking back to my first two weeks as a freshman I remember that exact feeling. Attending classes, getting assignment and making frequent trips to the bookstore became routine in my first week. I remember feeling consumed with class work and online homework, which made finding classes, navigating through new online websites, and getting the materials I needed an added hassle.
In conclusion, I think Dr. Nathan took observation a step further when she entered the college scene and she was able to get a close experience of what college life for an incoming freshman is actually like. She says "Each college student is going to have a different college experience". I agree with her statement and feel like everyone is different, therefore their college experience will be different, but I feel like parts of Dr Nathan's college experience were close to the same as most incoming freshman including mine.